1. Field
This invention relates to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, and more specifically to methods and systems managing information on, and access to, RFID tags, including information stored and exchanged by, through and about assets deployed in a wide range of environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, standard software, whether office, business, enterprise or of other type, is not capable of interacting with RFID tags. Instead, special applications are written, either as self-contained applications that read and write data to tags (sometimes called edgeware) or by using so called middleware that can connect tags in a database or event format. Thus only individuals with special software have been able to exchange data with an RFID tag. As RFID tags have become more widely used, there has emerged a need for easier means of accessing and managing information on RFID tags that avoids the need to develop and integrate custom applications.
RFID tags have also been traditionally limited to small amounts of data (e.g., as asset ID related information) and non-standard interface software, leaving the RFID tag, and the information associated with its asset, isolated from general access—such as through the Internet. As capabilities increase for storing and accessing information on RFID tags, there emerges a need to access and integrate this information. This need is emerging is an understanding that an “Internet of Everything” may take advantage of communication of data by and through a wide range of physical assets that have not conventionally been part of the Internet, such as home appliances, sensors of various types, goods in transit, components in manufacturing, manufacturing equipment, tools used in service environments, computing assets deployed in data centers, and many, many others. Many such devices lack connected power sources, and it can be quite expensive to provide batteries or energy harvesting (e.g., solar cell) technologies. Accordingly, a need exists for methods and systems that enable the benefits of connectedness of a wide range of assets, without requiring grid connection, battery power, or power generating capabilities.